.jpg)
By “El Huaso” for Borderland Beat
.jpg)
Early this morning, the Tamaulipas State government reported that Héctor Joel Villegas González, the Tamaulipas State Secretary, survived an armed attack while driving on the Reynosa-San Fernando highway.
Villegas was traveling from Río Bravo towards Ciudad Victoria when his White Chevy Suburban and another escort vehicle were fired upon by armed men. According to a message from the official Tamaulipas state press relations Twitter account, authorities responded to the attack immediately and stated that Villegas is unharmed.
Villegas joined the administration of Tamaulipas governor Americo Villarreal Anaya in fall of 2022. He has been accused by local crime blog Valor Tamaulipeco of being involved in state extortion of fuel imports from the United States. In an article posted last month, Valor Tamaulipeco alleged that Villegas, along with other Tamaulipas cabinet members, charge “pay to pass” payments for fuel entering from the United States.
Prior to this, Villegas has been accused of being associated with Sergio Carmona Alguno “The King of Huachicol”, a Reynosa businessmen accused by state authorities of being involved in fuel theft. Carmona was killed in San Pedro Garza in November 2021.
One local news site, La Red Multimedia, suggested that Villegas’ armored vehicle may even be a gift from Carmona, who used to provide local associated politicians with similar ones.
 |
| Héctor Joel Villegas González |